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Fringe Organization “Gettin’ Out The Message” 101: Don’t Use A Name Already Taken

I don’t know about you all but I for one was shocked and appalled at the lack of coverage on the renewal of the Sagebrush Rebellion (the defining conflict of our age no less!) that has been going in in southwest Oregon this past week. Well, I was, until I saw who was the spokesman for the movement. Ammon Bundy.

Just say that name out loud again. Ridiculous right? Who’s going to listen to someone named Ammon Bundy about anything? The name is played out. As soon as you hear something came out of Ammon Bundy’s mouth your mind is already writing it off as nonsense. Why? Simple. ‘Bundy’ has been taken. Not only has it been taken, its been taken twice and you know exactly by whom;

That’s right! Everyone’s favorite Odd Couple of the Bundy surname, Al and Ted! When you have entries of that magnitude in the national zeitgeist you aren’t going to get anything off the ground. Too crowded. Not enough air for whatever movement or cause or career you are trying to bring into this world for it to soar. Instead, people are just going to Google that last name and immediately get sidetracked. Not only that, their first image when they hear that last name is either a deranged lunatic serial killing cannibal or Ted (classic Peggy joke *INSERT LAUGH TRACK NOISE*). Seriously, look at the image search for the just the entry of “bundy”.

Credit Google search for the photos in this, ahem, ‘column’.

That is a PR nightmare my friends. There is just no way you will effectively get your message out, even if you wear a cowboy hat. Everyone’s minds are either laughing at man scratching himself on the couch drinking a lukewarm light beer or getting creeped out by soulless eyes. That’s all before we get to the part where the guy’s first name is an extra ‘m’ away from being “Ammo” and he’s armed and holed up in some nature museum.

My advice? Have someone else be the spokesperson and let the Bundy name carry on with what its got. There’s plenty of weight on that cart already. I’m all for your American right to speak out and be known as a crazy. All I ask is that you do it in such a way that doesn’t lead down a wikipedia hole or a Netflix binge.